DxD Swordsman
by Arata Suou
Summary: Reincarnated into a world filled with ridiculously overpowered beings, what is a youth to do but aim for the top? An SI reincarnation fic with Class Card.


Life is a funny thing. It likes to throw curveballs all the time. Ones you know you wouldn't be able to hit.

But sometimes, somehow you were able to hit them anyway.

Yet fate decided to make the hit a shallow one, dropping near the pitcher.

So you ran. You ran as fast as you could towards first base.

Most of the times you fail. But sometimes-

_Sometimes you don't._

Within the crowds, he saw an old man with greying hair and a large beard, folds of wrinkles showing across his face. A large grin was plaster over the face, one that made him seem decades younger. This man stood behind a rather eye-catching stall that everyone seems to ignore for some reason.

_Boundary field_, his mind supplied.

It has been a while since anything so exhilarating happened in this lifetime, about time life spice things up for him. His family is utterly crazy in certain aspects, he assures you of that, but he had long since gotten used to them. He had ten whole years of experience in handling them.

He moved towards the stall with next to no hesitation. If he learned something from his time with his literally batshit insane family then it was the fact that hesitating won't do him any good when handling things that are wilder than life. Besides that, being able to acknowledge the existence of this place must have meant he had tripped over some flags, so there were not many points in evading it anyway.

"Old man," He spoke towards the gramps before him. "Strange to see you here, you're not from anywhere around. Might you be lost? Do you need assistance to find the lost child center? Or maybe an escort to go straight back to your _moonlit world_."

Sarcastic and a tiny bit cynical, not the best way to communicate with what might be his sole lifeline in this tale, but it will have to make do consider that being as blunt as a wooden sword is integral to his identity.

The Marshall took a glance at him before raising an eyebrow. "You are the younger one here kid. What are you anyway?"

"The person you reincarnated ten years ago."

Duh.

It was strange that Zelretch forgot about said event. What could the user of Kaleidoscope be here for except for having a chat or two with him before maybe trolling his poor soul? He couldn't see the man having any other reason to visit the ridiculous world of DxD… Unless the sorcerer intends to give out a certain useful set of cards to the main cast, and he was an unexpected outlier.

As if to confirm his fear the user of the kaleidoscope opened his mouth.

"...I haven't messed with this particular world yet. In fact, this is the first time I entered this one world line out of the DxD cluster." His eyes went a shade darker. "I don't know what had occurred, but nobody in this universe should even know about the moonlit world. So once again-

_Who are you?_

...He so very hates it when his imaginations come to life, as those imaginations are usually about troublesome positions to be in. Having an all-time low expectation does wonder for your general happiness in life, but it really sucks when those worries actually come to fruition.

Nevertheless, he had since accepted that pessimistic mindset as his own. Constantly imagining things going pretty badly for himself, always having low expectations as to not be disappointed by the lacking results. He was somewhat strange in that he endlessly aims for the ground while others shot for the stars.

He impulsively raised one hand to face-level, before rubbing the outline of his nose, letting out a fed up sigh that refuses to be contained within the throat. His eyes narrowed till it was almost closed and his posture slouched backward with eyes facing the sky. That was a habit of his whenever things get a tad bit too stressful.

Ten years ago he had undoubtedly been reincarnated. It happened so suddenly without any signs of foreshadowing. One moment he had (probably) died in an airplane crash and then suddenly he saw himself surrounded by darkness, his body pushed towards a sprout of light. Nobody ever told him what exactly happened, nor why it did.

He merely assumed Zelretch was the cause because the man was here in this world showing himself before the young boy, and Tohru knew that the man was undoubtedly capable of doing such an act. But from what he just heard it seems that the man was not the culprit, and therefore…

_Potential Ally_

"So I'm guessing you weren't the one who did this to me. The name's Rakuyama Tohru, a reincarnated man from a world where yours is a work of fiction. You know the term Nasuverse?"

A snort.

"So you hailed from the world where Nasu Kinoko created the franchise of Fate/. I probably need to investigate your [Reincarnation] later."

"Any intention of telling me the results afterward?"

Zelretch's sly smirk was telling enough.

"Since you don't know about me, my best bet is that you're here for Issei. Are you going to give him some class cards?" Tohru spoke as his gaze fell to the cards set on the stall. Seven cards. Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Berserker and Assassin

The man didn't respond, only keeping quiet with that seemingly everlasting grin still plastered over his face. No words, gesture or even any small response of sorts. The man did not do anything as if he had not heard the words the boy has spoken.

He took it as a yes.

"Mind if I take some of these?" He asked. They would undoubtedly be handy for him to have for the chaotic future to come. "I'm sure Issei wouldn't need all of them. Or maybe you could give me something from the three Extra class, or the other deviation class."

"Eh… Those Ainsworth never made any except the regular seven and half-mongrel." The man rubbed his bearded chin."Although I did alter these things already. Maybe I can try to create some for other classes? Eh, worth a try."

It was at that point the Marshall realized the boy was still waiting for an answer. An unexpected amalgamation that came in contact with the tale of one Issei Hyoudo, what would be the appropriate reaction as to gain maximum enjoyment out of it?

"Eh, take the Saber card."

There was really not much reason to mull over it. The dead apostle ancestor had long since realized the unexpected was much more exhilarating than what you excruciatingly planned.

"Cool, wonder if I'll get any Saberface.."

That was the way he gained access to existences known as heroic spirits. In the distant future he would remember his stupidity this day for not realizing the fact there was always a catch for everything. But that is a tale for the time to come.

"As expected, the convenience of a protagonist character is quite something is it not?"

"...You are a creepy kid ya'know?"

"Considering my mental age reached thirty or something just last year? Yeah, I could accept being a creepy kid."

"I meant more something along the lines of a creepy person in general, but… figure it out yourself. I will tell you this though. Nothing good would come out of getting spoon-fed. Put in actual efforts and aim for nothing less than supreme glory, for only then would I be entertained to the utmost. Consider this a request from me, since I did you the favor of giving you that card in your grasp."

He blinked, before deciding to ignore Zelretch's odd comment.

_See Author? I'm gonna be a good little boy and won't inquire that foreshadowing. Protagonists don't recognize foreshadowing. Also, please up your game._

"Thanks for the class card. Does this thing use the gacha or is there a specific heroic spirit inside of it?"

"None, as of currently the card is nothing more than templates for the Saber class. It would dish out something compatible with you by themselves. Wait for it with anticipation."

"Roger that then, though I wonder if I can have some more of these cards, maybe as spare insurance if nothing else. I have quite the past with losing my personal objects." And all kinds of other important things such as freedom too, but that was neither here nor there. "I'm set in terms of fighting capability with the Saber class card, but learning support magic wouldn't hurt me... Nor would having a sweet ride, now that I think about it." The boy wiggled his eyebrows. He didn't count on them working but even then it was worth a try. Having more of these cards would only benefit him.

"Heh… You know that saying about asking too much?"

"Take an inch, and they'll give you a mile?"

"Sorry, but no cigar."

He stared at Zelretch. The man stared back with seemingly gleeful eyes, not affected even the tiniest bit by his attempt at making a deadly serious expression. To be honest he should have expected it right off the bat. There was no reason for such a man with a rich life experience to flinch against the gaze of a mere young boy. Therefore Tohru decided to back off.

"...I suppose I should be satisfied with whatever the summoning gives me long as they are not any variants of the black keys. See you some other time then."

And so ended the first of many meetings between the two.

The next time around won't be so pleasing though.

Fucking Zelretch.

That night he dreamt the life of a hero… _not._

It was a lucid dream. He stood at the center of a chamber of some sort. There was no form of illuminations of any kind within this palace of darkness. He could not see anything except his own body which he noted as a strange tidbit because, as to accentuate it once more, there were no lights of any kind within this place. Yet his body was clear and bare to see, fully colored as if he was basking in lights.

Strange.

...Huh, wait. If he couldn't see then-

_Then how does he know that this is a chamber?_

Somehow he felt nauseous the moment said thoughts arrived at the forefront of his mind. He didn't know why but he would rather prefer to avoid that line of thought.

"Pleasure to meet you. Perchance, are you Okita's master?"

A young voice he found familiar with. The voice of the young girl who would scream 'great victory' every time she won a battle.

He glanced to his right as he heard said voice. _Why?_ The voice echoed all over and he would not by any means recognize where it originated from and even if he turned his gaze, the lack of light source would have prevented him from seeing anything.

And yet there was the girl he expected to see. About a dozen meters to his right, standing straight while staring at him. The girl has light peach-colored hair and a small frame fitting with her frail constitution. Her yellow orbs staring right at him with amicable kindness. A blade in hand her speed and skill will leave her opponents crying as they die.

Okita Souji, of the Shinsengumi.

"To answer your question, I am your master, though we are not participating in any grail war."

The girl before him furrowed her brows while tilting her head. It seems like she was taking the news relatively well, if nothing else. The relationships between a Master and a Servant is as important as it could get, and he had a feeling said framework would be vital for his continued safety. Either way, it doesn't seem like the captain of Shinsengumi's first unit has any intention to rebel against him as of this point in time so that was a relief he could take pleasure in. He did not think he could survive the attacks of such a high-class servant. Or even any servant at all, period.

"You're here mostly as a safety measure- insurance of sorts, for there would be many, many enemies in the time to come. I do hope for a nice partnership from now on and forever hereafter."

Yes, he would like to think his words were a fitting description for his current condition. He predicted his actions would change the future and deviates it from its original canon storyline. That was not including the fact there might be more messing by one certain Kaleidoscope user and whoever it is that brought him to this world since it was established that Zerletch was not the one responsible for the time and space bullshittery this time around.

"...Understood, master." The Servant nodded towards him with a solemn expression. "Okita's bade shall be yours, till death separates us."

He supposes his luck has not failed him yet. Okita wasn't the strongest Heroic Spirit he could summon no, there were many Sabers that can stand their grounds against the young girl of Daishouri, but that does not mean she was weak. True he would have been happier to summon Arturia, Mordred, Sigurd, Musashi, Atilla, Shiki, EMIYA, Hercules, Jeanne or Raikou rather than Okita, but you gotta play the hand you're dealt with.

Besides there is no helping but to feel admiration towards this girl younger than him, whose ultimate wish is to simply 'fight till the bitter end'. She was an existence which could be admired and only admired. The fact she states 'till death separates us' rather than 'forever and ever' somehow made him feel like his heart has been stabbed by a sharp piece of broken glass. To this girl who has a weak constitution and a sickness which looms death over her head, death must have been something natural.

"So the two of us against six other pairs, along with whatever the world throws at us. Heh, sounds like a fool's ordeal."

His words were bleak, yet somehow he can't help but smile in spite of it. This was the excitement he longed for, that 'oomph' he always sought for in his last life. He threw his knight a two-finger salute. "I'll be relying on ya, partner."

He didn't exactly expect any reaction, yet even if he did it clearly would have missed the mark, as Okita shook her head with what he could only assume was an amused smile, hands slowly rising pointing behind his childish body. Turning around towards the direction he saw a… huh.

"Tch, I suppose she isn't done with me yet. Same old same."

_He was a mockery of heroes, of men, of living beings. _

Before the boy was a man of tall stature, skin tanned to oblivion and his shaven white hair pronouncing out in contrast to his skin color. He wore a pair of black sleeves connected across the neck, above black pants with weave patterns and white boots. Yellow orbs stared at him with a gaze not unlike that of a hawk.

_The hero that fell to the witch _

"Emiya… Shirou."

"Oh? So you know my identity… interesting. Still, do not call me by that name. I have since thrown that identity away. Just call me Berserker. I shall assume that you are my master and act accordingly."

On Berserker's hand was a pair of gun - _no, noble phantasm_. In his hands was a pair of noble phantasm, one pitch black and the other utterly white. Kanshou and Bakuya, the meaningless swords without purpose, altered into guns.

He was undoubtedly a man made out of swords. Starting out as a young naive boy he was forged through tribulations of fire and was shaped to the concept of a sword, inheriting a clearly flawed ideal from a hopeless man. With said ideal as his pillar of support, the young man continued to sharpen his edges throughout the Holy Grail War. With it, he was reforged and would walk on to become a modern-time hero, for whatever amount said path would even be worth.

And yet now he saw the man wielding a pair of guns, objects contradicting his entire concepts. It truly accentuated the fact he was a changed man, soul twisted in madness.

_The hunter of red plains, bewitched by devil's bodhisattva._

Counter Guardian EMIYA ALTER

"Heh, pay no attention to me. Just move on to the next guy." He nudged his chin to a direction. Tohru followed the gaze of the servant of madness and was greeted by the presence of another servant.

"Oh? It seems that I have been discovered."

"...Who are you?"

"My obscure identity matters not. Though I suppose it would be wise to tell you that I have been summoned under the Assassin class."

His response was carefree and elegant. He spoke neither too fast nor too slow, and even nailed the small chuckle he made following the sentence. Flawless whether it be in tone or timing. A perfect being in terms of harmony.

He inspected the Servant before him. There he saw a man of dashing looks, with swaying violet hair tied into a neat ponytail running down his back. The man wore a traditional hakama in purple and indigo. Yet what catches the boy's attention beyond anything else was the sword tied to his back, for it was a unique weapon that made him doubt his eyesight for a moment. On his back was a sword that could not have been a sword, for its length was elongated to a heretical degree.

Monohoshizao

"Sasaki Kojiro." Another familiar name came out of his mouth. "You were summoned under the Assassin class?"

He was rather surprised by the summoning. This Sasaki Kojiro was an odd hero as he was not the true Sasaki Kojiro known in history, but merely a man so alike to the famous hero that people mistakenly believed him to be Sasaki. An error that occurred when a Caster class Servant tried to summon a heroic spirit of her own.

Truly he did not understand how this honorable man could even be categorized as an Assassin. He was a man who favored fairness and politeness, never afraid to compliment the attainment of others even if they were enemies of his. Even beyond that was the fact that stating his proficiency in the art of swordsmanship anything less than godly would have been nothing but slander to his mastery.

To pull a summarized conclusion, the man was much more fit to be a Saber than an Assassin.

"...That is incorrect, master. To be more precise, I have the pleasure of being summoned with the perk of double summoning as both Lancer and Saber."

Double summoning. A case in which a servant gain the perks of two class at the same time, only available to those of the cavalry class. As far as he knew only Semiramis, the Queen of Assyria held the privilege of the double class as a Caster and Assassin. The fact that Sasaki somehow has a double summoning privilege piqued his interest.

However, why exactly Lancer-class when Sakaki has never wielded any polearm? The only weapon he ever used was his Monohoshizao…

Which literally translates to Laundry Hanging Pole. Oh god did Zelretch categorize Sakaki as a Lancer because of a mere pun?!

...Honestly, that sounds par for the course for Zelretch.

"Ah, now that the topic has come up Okita suppose it should be time to clarify as well. Okita is currently under the same circumstances as he is," She said. "Okita is summoned as both Saber and Assassin-class servant."

"...What?"

The girl gave an affirming nod. He sent a confused gaze towards the leader of Shinsengumi's first unit. Okita being an soldier, the only relation she has to an Assassin-class Servant would be the fact both reap lives. This one does not make sense in any way, even if Okita's toolkit is fitting for an Assassin.

"Same for me, master. I am considered as both a Berserker and a Saber."

I stared at EMIYA Alter with wide eyes. Another double summoning, and more importantly as a Berserker class-Servant? He seems surprisingly lucid for the Servant of madness. Or rather should I be worried for my life right about now, considering how the Servant who just stated himself as a Berserker is armed with a gun capable of killing me from far away before I could react to it in any manner?

"I know what you are thinking Master, but do not be worried. Though I can hear its scream deep within my subconscious my nature as a Saber seems to overwhelm it. In fact, I only have E-rank Madness so the effect is not too large in the first place." Caster said with a shrug.

That is a relief. Still, Okita, EMIYA, and Sakaki, all having double summoning. This is unordinary. To emphasize it once again, Semiramis is the only known existence with double summoning, out of the cast of servants that numbered well over a hundred including alternate versions as far as he could remember. It wasn't a skill exclusive to her, but being the only one to have it among more than a hundred beings with the same potential should be more than enough to prove its rarity.

"This is interesting." The voice was rather soft and carefree and felt uplifting as well. That voice itself formed a testament to how cheerful its owner's personality must be. Once again, the voice echoed throughout the basement so he could not locate where it originated from, yet his body turned to the left without any hesitation.

There he saw a person with long grey hair tied into a ponytail and pale white skin, wearing a Japanese-esque dress of blue and red.

This servant seems to be a swordsman as well, but she was different from the other two swordsmen in that she has not one blade sheathed, but two hanging beside her hips. A two-sword-style user. The swordsman of unparalleled skill, arguably one of the most famous swordsmen of recent times, and undoubtedly the most renowned one for his skill with the blade.

Shinmen Musashi no Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu

Miyamoto Musashi

"Nice to meet you, master. I am Miyamoto Musashi, of the Saber class. Unlike the previous three, I do not possess the Double Summon privilege thingy."

He was starting to see a pattern here. Of the four Servants currently around, three of which have double summoning, and all of them have the Saber class which was the class card he gained from Zelretch. If his hypothesis is correct then there should be three more Servants all with double summoning, as Saber along with either Archer, Caster or RIder as their second Class. Totaling at Sever Servant, one of each Class. That would be interesting indeed.

"Anyone else around?"

"Yeah, but it seems the other two are taking their time."

Two others, along with this new Servant. It seems at least his hypothesis of there being seven Servant is correct. Why he has no idea though, as once again he only picked up one Class Card from Zelretch and it was the Saber Class Card. Could it be that Zelrecth supercharged the card or something of such nature? He would not put it past the old vampire to mess around with the card before giving it to him.

Nevertheless, the boy turned to the source of the voice and was greeted by a pair of piercing blue orbs that seem like it could shatter through any and all facade he would ever put on, seeing his soul at its purest form. Cruel and merciless, mystical eyes that could render anything into nothingness.

Silver woven yukata wrapped by a blue obi.

"[Shiki… Ryougi]?"

"Yes."

She took a step towards him.

"I have a lot of questions, but… for now, prove your worth."

He was lost in those blue orbs, barely registering her words, if at all. He stood in a haze even when she took a stance against him. She swung the blade in her hand before he could react.

And like so, he died for the first time.

And woke up.

"...What the hell."

"You seem surprisingly vacant lately, Tohru." She poked his arm. "Any particular reason why?"

He glanced at her. Green eyes and tied up black hair, her gaze locked onto his like the scope of a sniper rifle. She leaned over to meet eye to eye with him as they had quite the height difference, giving him a free view of her admittedly ample bosom for one of her age.

"It's a secret."

"Oh." She blinked. "So what's the secret?"

He merely glared at her form. He shouldn't even be surprised anymore at this point. The woman before him was always full of curiosity, no matter the time and place. She didn't even care what the topic was she would always be curious about anything she didn't understand.

"Let me jizz in your overalls and I'll tell you."

"MOOOMMMMM, Tohru said some bad words again!" She screamed out, gaining the attention of their parents.

"I'll put that on the board."

He could hear their mother speaking over through the sound of water flowing down the kitchen sink. Though he wasn't able to see her, he could easily imagine her scrounging a marker through the desk, before putting another line on a board sticking to the wall.

"Let's see… Only three more times today, Tohru."

He nodded even though he knows she can't see him from her current spot. It was a force of habit more than anything, an instinct he could not resist to follow. He has always been one to let his intention known through his body. Whether is it frowning when annoyed or erect when horny.

Now some might get confused as to what just happened, so let's explain them in a simple way so one could be a little more enlightened of the current situation.

As an adult stuck in the body of a child, he was different from others of the same physical age. He was not by any means a good actor so he did not even bother trying to imitate other children in the hope of hiding his unusual persona.

That in and of itself was fine, but the problem is people would barely care if an old man swore, while a child doing the same is an extremely big deal according to most.

Stupid society.

Anyway, his parents didn't quite like it when he uses some of his more… _vulgar_ vocabulary, but there was no such thing as [backing down] within the prementioned vocabulary. He has long since accepted the fact that he had a foul mouth and there was no changing that. Foul-mouthed brat that he is, said habit was formed over a decade of experience in his past life, and he will not unnecessarily change himself just because some people think he is still a child.

Therefore his parents were stuck in a difficult position, and they were forced to make a compromise. He was free to say vulgar lines, but only up to a certain amount of times every day. Every time he swore or say anything like such his parents would draw one line on a board they dubbed as [Vulgarity Board]. At the end of the day, those lines would be counted before erased, and he would be punished should they reach past a certain amount.

"Hey, was that the second one or the third time today?" He asked

"...Huh? Oh, it was the first, actually. Are you sure you're okay?"

Was it? He couldn't remember. He didn't get enough sleep because of the incident within his dream.

"I'm fine. You know why? Because unlike masochist like you who starves yourselves to death I eat a balanced and fulfilling meal three times a day. By the way, how's your progress on that aspect? What rewards come after the belly rumble? "

She pouted. In the past, he would have considered it as one cute gesture or even a beautiful view, but at this point, he was beyond tired of her spoiled act. He probably has said this before but he had ten years to get used to this gal and was long since immune to her spoiled acts.

"Uuu… Wai ar u doin his? Et oo o mai cheek!"

Well, or maybe not. Still, he was sure he would be tired of it by the next few years. There wasn't a beauty you wouldn't get tired of after knowing them for a decade or two. Stuff like [Eternally lovely] was but a pipe dream, or at least that was his honest opinion. Give it some more time and his sister won't attract him anymore.

Definitely.

...Okay, just probably.

...Maybe?

...Riiiight.

He stretched her cheeks a tiny bit more. They were soft and smooth, pleasing to touch to the point he felt like he could get addicted to the act of merely kneading them. He wondered how the insides of her mouth would feel like, and whether he would be able to feel them in the future.

He continued playing with them for a few more moments before letting them go. She rubbed her newly minted red cheeks while looking at him with a tentative glare.

"I will say this for as long as it takes for you to get it, I am _not_ a masochist, and it's called dieting, not starving yourself."

"Heh, could've fooled me."

She glared at him for a few more moments before softening her gaze.

"Still, you sure you're okay?"

"...I'm fine. Just some bad dreams."

Yes, that and some very troublesome revelations.

It seems that every time he gets killed within the strange dream he would suddenly wake up.

Now you might notice him using the word [every time] rather than [when]. That was because literally every time he tried to get some sleep he would once again dream of the dark chamber, and would be confronted by [Shiki Ryougi]. Then she would decimate him and he would wake up from the dream. After some time he would try to sleep again. Rinse and repeat.

Or to put it simply, he can not get any sleep. Whenever he enters neverland he would be jolted awake by the owner of the eyes of death perception.

For a sloth like him, this kind of threat is the worst danger possible. As long as he could slack about he was fine with most of anything long as it wasn't too wild. But being unable to sleep? That sounded like something straight out of his nightmare.

"Hey, are you still listening?" He heard from the troublesome woman. She was already back to poking his cheeks, looking at him with a deadpan expression and mouth pronouncing out like the number three.

"Yeah yeah, whatever."

This woman was a sister of his, one six whole years older than him to be a bit more specific. That means she belted the age of sixteen years old right now. With a fun-seeking soul and a bold yet lazy personality, she has caused many troubles to him, and the household in general. Oh god, how he abhorred her, to the point he wanted to rape her.

The last part was a joke by the way.

Hmm? That he hated her or that he wanted to rape her?

Yes.

"Sheesh, you sure you're okay? You've got some bags under your eyes."

"I'm fine, shaddup."

His relationship with her might have seems to be a little bit rusty, but he was of the opinion they got along quite well, they just love pushing each other's button. They have always agreed that watching others getting ticked off is a fun and enjoyable experience.

They were of the same breed, and if nothing else they were certainly alike in terms of personality.

"By the way, do you know a kid named Issei? He should be around my age. Lives in this town too."

"Your age? Then how am I supposed to know him? Never heard of him, but if you're saying he is your peers then I'm pretty sure you should know him better than I do."

He really should, but he doesn't. He and his peers have a mental age difference of almost twenty years. The discrepancy of mental capability between them was impossible to ignore. It was in theory utterly impossible for him to get along with them, and that was indeed what happened in reality.

"I dunno, maybe you prefer younger boys or something? You know, like a cougar."

Now that he was at the topic, could he bring up one curiosity of his? He never understood why those kinds of people were called cougars. Like, why exactly were they called that? Does female cougars make a habit of breeding with younger males or something? Even if they do - not that he knew for sure - it's not like they were the only species to do so. In fact he knew loads of cases where female dogs mated with younger males. Often even their own son, but he didn't hear people being called female dogs or anything.

...Oh, wait.

Right.

Umm…

Okay, objection subsided.

Now, where was he?

"Pfft, you wish."

Wait for what? Oh right, he was teasing her. Jeez, he does like to monologue a lot, doesn't he. That was a bad habit he never managed to get rid of, amongst many other habits that he did throw away. Removing a part of himself he doesn't like is a favorite pastime of his, as horrible as that might sounds.

"...Wait, Issei Hyoudou? As in the kid who always played with Irina-chan?"

"Irina Shidou? Yep, we're talking about the same person here."

Jackpot, he assumes. He didn't think it would be so easy to catch a trail of the original protagonist of DxD, but maybe life is giving him a break for once. Well, it is still too early to conclude it as such though. Fate can still screw him over whenever she wants and he would be helpless against her. Knowing his luck… Actually, he'll probably be fine. Lady luck's been pretty nice to him in this lifetime. His previous life's experiences notwithstanding.

Also…

"So you _are_ a cougar."

"As if. Shidou-san is pretty nice though…"

"Lesbian then?" And a pedophile too.

"Wrong Shidou, idiot. I'm talking about her father."

"Oldies fetish?"

"Jesus stop pulling labels onto me."

He should, but it was way too fun to stop at this point. Good teasing moments should always be taken as they come, long as it wasn't too overboard. The limit of [overboard] being different for each person, but families always had more tolerance in terms of teasing intake ability.

"Anyway, Shidou-san is pretty popular among girls. He's super nice and is good looking too. Irina-chan is the same as she is super cute. Hyoudou though… Are you interested in those kinds of stuff?"

He merely snorted in response.

"We've already established that I go both ways."

She blinked for a second before her lips beamed, undoubtedly remembering the moment he stated that yes, he was bisexual. Somewhat. It just inadvertently came out of his mouth one way or another.

"True. You said, and I quote, [No, I'm not a Christian but… kay, I don't believe in the Bible and I'm not gay either, but if Jesus descended and told me to bang with him, I would. No second thoughts.] Pffhahahaha!"

Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up.

Still, he was serious when he said he was bi. Not that he was gay, he just… he merely has nothing against those of his own gender. The two-dimensional version of them anyway.

...Come to think of it, he really should clear up that he was talking about two-dimensional beings when he said he liked males. Two-dimensional beings were, for the most part, the only thing he considers attractive so it went over his head that people might think he was talking about actual living people. Nope. He was talking about anime traps like Astolfo.

He is kind of morally obliged to clear up the misunderstanding his sister is having… but nope, this is way more fun anyway. Pretending to be sexually attracted to both gender makes getting under some people's skin a very easy task. Metaphorically of course. But then again, if he actually meet a gay person… eww, yeah, at that point he'd really have to crack the joke or it might not end well for him… and his anal virginity.

But until then, he'll just laugh it up while keeping mute.

Back to the dream again.

In his grasp was a wooden sword. It was certainly a toy, but a usable weapon nonetheless. Apparently, everything on him would be brought over to this dream world, which makes sense, as he would be buck naked rather than wearing his pajamas if it wasn't so, which would be have been a very awkward condition to be in. One time he was teleported into the dream world while hugging his bolster. It was a funny incident where he tried to defeat a servant with what was practically a hug pillow.

At least it was funny until he died for the umpteenth time.

"So we're here again then. Just you and me, the two of us inside the gloomy gloom-gloom abyss of gloominess. It would've been a nice date you know, the two of us having some uninterrupted personal time. That is if the place wasn't so… well, gloomy."

He strikes up a conversation, though at this point he was barely even trying anymore. She never spoke up except for the moment they met, rather opting to glare at him for a few moments before rushing in for the kill. Each. And. Every. Goddamned. Time.

Yes, he is rather frustrated about it.

As like his expectations the woman in kimono attacked him with the voracity of a beast, all while she had an expression as still as a lake. Out of nowhere, she swung the blade in her hand through the air. He leaped away, evading nothing in particular. Both of them did a seemingly random and meaningless act, but he knew that what just happened was an exchange of life and death.

Eyes of Death Perception, the one ability the original Shiki Ryougi has. With her eyes she could see [Lines] floating in the air, sticking out of any and all objects around her. He had aptly named those lines that were invisible to his sight as 'Lines of Death'. Whenever she cuts any of these lines whatever it is connected to it will be utterly demolished, both in physical measure and in concepts.

That was exactly what she tried to do to him just moments previously. She tried to cut the red lines of death connected to his body. If she were to succeed he would have once again lost his life, dying in what he considers as a rather painful way, feeling phantom pains all over his body.

To be honest he would rate it as more painful than getting stabbed in the heart. If he was stabbed in a vital location then at least he had the comfort of knowing that the pain would soon be over. Getting killed by her eyes, on the other hand, felt like his body was shattering into a thousand pieces akin to broken glass.

Yes, it is painful as all hell and yes, he is a bit on the salty side right now.

A few more seconds passed, with a few exchanges happening all the while. She swung her sword while he flailed around like a monkey in a circus, the wooden sword in his hand as useful as a gem if one was a lone thirsty man stranded on a desert without any source of water.

Simply put, it was useless.

Still, after so many horrifying death he was starting to get used to her methodical movements. In fact, he somehow felt like he could see the lines of death sticking out of him. Each of Shiki's movements has a meaning of sorts, and his job was to decode those secret hidden meanings to metaphorically 'see' where the lines are, and how should he move to stop her from reaching the lines she covets to cut, therefore prolonging his measly lifespan by a few more moments.

But for all his abilities were worth, after a short amount of time and some attempts to escape from her metaphorical grasp he once again died from her eyes. She started including tricks in her movements. He could barely evade dying while she was being straightforward with her attacks, so it was obvious he would die once she gets a bit impatient and start adding in feints.

…

He looked at the clock hanging onto the wall. Barely a minute has passed since he had even fallen asleep. Ah well, he supposes one minute of sleep is still better than nothing. Though he does wonder what would happen when he gets too tired to even stay conscious anymore, what's with his sleep deprivation and all. He won't be able to fight as he was sleep-deprived but he cannot sleep without having to fight Shiki.

...He really wasn't eager to find out the answer to that question, so he needs to quickly find a solution one way or another. Otherwise, chance are he was doomed.

Ah well. It was five in the morning, about the time he moved on from trying to sleep. It has been one long horrific and restless night, Shiki made sure of that.

He took a quick shower and made do with a change of clothing, before going out for a jog. To fight against the like of Shiki who was a pseudo-heroic spirit, he needed to be as fit as he possibly could and then some. It was his sleep that was at stake here so for once he can't quite half-ass his ass out of this problem.

He never jogged in his previous life, at least not routinely like he is trying to do right now. He had enough trouble trying to wake early in the morning so ideas like jogging were just too high of a goal for him to even try to aim.

Not that he was bragging or anything, but his current body was fit, abnormally so. In his past life, he was quite malnourished, admittedly from his lacking diet mainly consisting of French fries and instant noodles. Mainly on the fries. He would even say that half of his entire diet in his previous life was made up of French fries. That was how much he ate them. Consuming them was like a second instinct to him.

Eating only twice a day was also the norm for him, ignoring breakfast altogether. And lunch was usually instant noodles. As for dinner, either French fries or noodles again, or sometimes he just plains out replace dinner with a late-night snack. All that pretty much contributed to his malnourishment.

"Ouch!"

Aaand he bumped into someone. He really needs to fix his lack of sleep; it was costing him so many troubles. Yeah, it was definitely because of that and not his lack of attention. Yep.

He was about to apologize before he saw the bright shade of orange that was her hair. She was a young girl his age, wearing a simple white button up and a plain black skirt, along with striped long socks and child sketchers. She was rubbing her buttocks while wincing slightly. He could only assume she had fallen bottom first and hurt her ass.

"Shidou… Irina?"

She perked up. He could see her eyes filled with a choke-full amount of curiosity staring at him. She tilted her head in a cutesy manner that tempted him to kidnap her and spoil her with candies, cookies, and milk.

And maybe a sausage.

"Huh? Umm… Yes. And who might you be?"

Crap, think. And think fast. Should he risk revealing his name to a cast member of the DxD cannon and risk affecting the story early or should he hide his identity for now?

"John Doe."

Perfect.

"...What?"

"Never mind that. Sorry about bumping into you."

"Huh? Wait!"

He ran out of her way like she was a demonic siren. He didn't intend to mess with cannon, not yet. Heck, he wasn't touching the crazed three-legged flying chicken that was DxD's storyline with a ten-foot pole. At least not without a plan. A good plan.

He panted as he leaped for the umpteenth time. To the left, right, then retreat backward. Survival was his utmost priority. In earlier experience he was more aggressive, thinking this torture would all end if he were to defeat her even once. He apparently had unlimited retries so surely he would win at least once if he were to keep enduring, right?

Wrong.

Pseudo or not Shiki was a bonafide heroic spirit. A normal human can't even begin to reach the end of her foot. It doesn't matter how many times you try, a normal human defeating her was close to impossibility. He needs to think of his own survival before anything else if he wanted to stay alive for even a dozen seconds.

And that was when he made what was inevitable for humanity, a great seed for one of humanity's strongest suit, the mother of improvement itself.

He made a mistake.

His hands grasped thin air, body wrenching, struggling to escape what he knew was his inevitable doom. The pain first came around the skin on his left chest, then spread all over before invading his insides.

And before he knew it, he has woken up.

...He had decided a while back that the wooden sword wasn't worth enough to justify bringing it to the dream world. Not that he hated it or anything but right now he'd rather have a movement boost compared to damage bonus. He was more focused on dodging Shiki's attack than trying to play aggressive and prompt an attack of his own. Launching an attack towards that freak of nature in human form? No thank you, he'll pass.

He was improving bit by bit. His time of survival was increasing; he learned how to dodge properly, and how to fight seriously as if his life was on the line. Though for all the good his improvements did his goal of defeating Shiki still seems like a pipe dream. In fact the longer he fought her the more he realized how impossible the feat he took attempts at was.

Not everything is shit though. The good news is that he was lasting longer against her. He could now consistently last for one minute on every bout, even three minutes if he was lucky. His longest one was five minutes long and he was damn proud of it. Got his body some sleep too. That was always good news, even with things looking as bleak as they are.

Nevertheless, he leaped out of his bed, ready to start another grueling day. He headed towards the bathroom for a shower, thankful for the fact that the house's bathroom has a separate shower stall along with their bathtub. He always preferred quick showers compared to a slow relaxing cleaning session at a bathtub. He didn't know why Asians like drowning themselves in large bodies of water so much, even though he was an Asian himself. Ah well, nothing wrong with being a little bit peculiar.

Soon enough he reached his destination and went ahead towards his exquisite, luxurious and well-earned private time at the shower stall. He really can't help but loosen up whenever he was rained down with cool water. The feeling of those liquids constantly pouring down onto him was a strange enjoyment in and of itself for him.

Water was the source of all life, and there was something poetic that he liked in basking himself with it. The coldness of the water keeps his feet on the ground, stopping him from straying towards the dark part of his subconsciousness. There was simply something addicting to the way water drops slid down his own body

The sensation of them splashing over his skin felt relaxing, and he could sense the clear waters dripping down throughout his body. He was in a state of utter bliss, all alone surrounded by the blurry glass panels and nothing else, in his birthday suit pure without any apparel.

In a way, it had started to become a coping mechanism for him. It started out as a harmless break in the monotony of his previous life. He took a shower whenever he felt depressed, whenever dark memories kick back their way into the forefront of his mind. Then it slowly turned into a habit, and habit dies hard.

Lately, he took shower to relieve himself of all the stress he got from having to fight that freak over and over again. He was beyond fed up of having to struggle as she rendered his efforts meaningless, before having him do it all over again.

Tsk.

He blurred out the thought and concentrated on simply enjoying his shower. His hand touched the cold steel of the shower handle before turning it all the way right, causing the showerhead to produce frigid waters. Good. This way he can distract himself from depressive thoughts.

...Showering is truly a favored pastime of his.

Still within the bathroom, he heard the footstep of another person, light and messy, yet it had a strange mystic charm of its own. It was a rhythmic footstep that he got accustomed to within the last few years.

"Huh? Oh right, you've been waking up at these hours lately."

And there was his sister, scratching her head with her lithe fingers. She popped out from the bathroom door, straight long bed hair still messy as all hell unlike her usual tied up ponytail-looking stuff. Dunno what he should call that clearly anime-style hair as. Maybe wild ponytail style? Who knows, clearly not him.

She has her entire body exposed to the air, bare naked close to him within this small room. Her supple body showing all the unnatural curves it has. She always had a mature body for the past few years but this encounter made him realize how extremely alluring her body is. She raised both hands and stretched them to the sky, bouncing her large bosom proudly.

"Why are you even awake so early? School's not gonna start until seven or something, right?" He said. They were both still very much naked, but she was the type that barely cares about nudity when it comes to family. And there is no need for Raku to freak out either considering he already knows she has no sexual intention. Why not ogle her and fulfill his lust now when he still has the chance?

"Half to eight, actually. Though I'm not surprised you don't pay attention to those kinds of stuff. And to answer your question, I intend to make breakfast for today."

He blinked. As far as he could remember the last time she used the kitchen the electricity in the house went down after the microwave imploded all because she forgot to take the food out of their take-out container before shoving them into said microwave.

In any other family that might have earned her punishments of some sort or at least a scolding, but she got off scot-free. In this family, those kinds of mistakes were a mostly daily occurrence. Not that the whole family was clumsy or anything mind you, the daughter of the said family just cover all the bases in that aspect. Well, considering the fact that the rest of the house does most of everything flawlessly he guesses her messing up all the time _kind of_ balance things out.

Anyway, if she wanted to cook then he needs to evacuate and get out of the house before anything unbecoming happens towards him. And yes, he assures you she is bound to screw up this breakfast.

"You? Then let me guess the menu for breakfast. Super charred toast along with charred egg and loads of strawberry jam to blur out the bitter taste and make them barely, _barely _palatable. Whatever. I'm using the bathroom."

In response to those words, the girl grabbed his body and pressed his neck between her elbows, with her generous bosom the act caused his face to get stuffed within them, filling his nose with her scent.

"Damn it woman are you horny or something?!"

"And what if I were?"

Rakuyama blinked.

"Then go watch some porn. You're sixteen not six."

Looking at her expression he idly wondered whether he would be greeted by a cheerful joking face, or maybe a heartbroken one. Those would be hard to receive, but he will take them nonetheless. Sadly what he found was neither if those.

She has a pouting face, one cheek bubbled up like a pufferfish.

"You're not gonna get any woman like that you know?"

"Then I'll be single for life. Fine by me either way."

Saying so he quickly moved out from the bathroom and let her fend off for herself. He dried his body with a bath towel and wore a change of clothes. After catering himself he wasted no time changing his clothes before he went out for a jog. He can't slack off as he intended to keep a habit of doing this routinely. Gotta get dem muscles to impress the girls. The two-dimensional girls, of course. Real girls are just icky.

His jogging was getting easier on his body as time goes on. He had mentioned it before but his body is fit to an abnormal degree. His physical capability was increasing at a ridiculous pace. He wasn't a sports coach or anything but he knew humans weren't supposed to grow this fast. He didn't intend to look at this horse gift in the mouth but said fact was worrying him.

He felt something bumping against his arm. It was soft and warm, giving him a pleasant sensation like a high-end bed cover. Glancing at the source the first thing he saw was a shade of orange. It was a pumpkin-colored hair styled into a twin tail.

"Huh. It's you again."

Running like there's no tomorrow.

"Wha- Wait up!"

He heard footsteps coming after him. It was closing in, gaining on him bit by bit. How she could run so fast in a skirt he'll never know.

"The hell are you chasing me for?!"

"How do you know my name? And who are you!"

"I'm batman! And how do I know you? Because I'm fucking batman! To the batcave!"

Thankfully he was able to escape by cutting a corner and running through a dark alley. Also that was one hell of a stupid asspull. Now that he had time to think it through that was a rather stupid line to execute right then and there.

He wonders whether that act would change the cannonity of DxD in any way. It was a ridiculous thought, but ridiculous was the one exact word he would have used to describe the cannonity of DxD.

Oh don't misunderstand him, he likes the settings of DxD, but the story itself was… somewhat questionable. Powering up by pressing nipples? Talking with sentient breast? Summoning a breast god from another world? BY UTILIZING BREAST ZOMBIES AS A FUCKING MAGIC CIRCLE?! Triggered by pressing the breast of a woman you just summoned from towns away?

Yeah. Yeah the story doesn't make any sense. Nuff said.

Now where was he?

Oh right.

Back to jogging.

….

Soon enough he finished lapping around the whole route he decided to stick on and went back to his home. He was tired beyond belief, but finished his jogging nonetheless.

"Whoa, you're so sweaty!"

Shut up sis.

A stab to the heart. Pain in his chest. Then pain all over his body.

He opened his eyes, taking his time to adjust his weary sight. It was getting somewhat hazy for him lately and he suspects it was only going to get worse and worse as time progresses, probably because of fatigue. The lack of sleep was constantly affecting him more and more as the days goes by too, but for once he had a smile on his face.

It was a rare occurrence for him to be in such a good mood, especially lately considering the fact that he was facing such a monumental problem. It was delightful to feel so cheerful once again. He really need to finish things up and loosen himself a bit.

"Ravioli ravioli, I lasted longer than six minutes! WOO! New record!"

He was not exactly in his sanest moment right now, mind you. In fact he himself would admit to the opposite, but hell to pay if it wasn't one of his proudest. He needed as much cheer in his life as he could possibly get, considering his current predicament and impending bleak future that was slowly approaching him by the second.

...Wait, hasn't he said something alike yesterday?

Whatever.

It was time he started moving onto his obligatory shower time. God knows he needs it. He wasn't quite himself when he hadn't taken his shower yet. He took weary steps out from his room, going down the stairs and passing through the kitchen. There he saw an adult, one of much higher stature than his ten-years old self.

"Hmm? Oh right, this is the time you wake up now isn't it?"

A bountiful and yet conservative figure and a short neck-length bob hairstyle. She wore a simple looking blue one piece under a white frilly apron. Her eyes were crystal clear in the color of the blue sea and her lips were a refreshing cherry red.

A wonderful, beautiful woman.

"Good morning to you too, mom."

He took a look at her current task. She worked her hands in the kitchen, mystically creating food like it was magic. All assorted form of food was right there before his eyes. Unlike his troublesome sister this mother of his was an adept in the art of making delicious culinary treats.

"Are those for breakfast? Seems a little heavy for that."

Not that it was a bad thing though. He licked his lips.

"Oh, these? It's not for breakfast, these food are for your father's lunch. He's got a big day ahead of him today." She smiled.

Then he can't eat them.

…Biggest disappointment of his life.

Still, she didn't usually makes packed lunch for pops. He wonders whether it was some kind of special day of some sort. Maybe in celebration of an anniversary? If anything he actually hopes it was in celebration of his father gaining a promotion, or at least a pay raise. More money is always nice.

...What?

Hmm, he'll get so flooded with work he won't have any time to spend with his son anymore? Good. Less socializing means more time for slacking off, which is always good news for him. Yeah, he was that sad of a person.

"By the way, is there any reason you are doing this?" She asked.

"Mm?"

"Your jogging, I mean. Just interested. I never had the vaguest of idea that you liked sports of any kind, or even any physical activities in the first place. So what brought this over? Why are you pushing yourself?"

"Because I am extr-"

"[Because you are extremely extreme], yes, the one excuse you have among so many other. I am not asking for a whimsical excuse, I'm asking for the truth."

Uh oh.

...This is what he likes to refer as his mother's killer mode. She would narrow her eyes and glare like you were a sheep and she was a wolf. Those judgemental eyes were truly unlike any others. He said that her eyes had looked like the blue ocean, but right now it was more along the line of an azure-colored cold, unforgiving ice.

His mother was actually a sharp person, and therefore is an utter pain in the neck to deal with, especially considering the fact that his main way of handling things are with jest. That kind of thing won't fly when handling the serious type.

"There are as many facets of truth as there are grains of sand. The true one is the one you wish for the most."

She glared even stricter. Ah well, he tried. The serious types have always been real toughies to entertain. They were on the entirely opposing lane of the personality map from flippant types like him. They were practically nemesis of one another, if he was to preach just a bit.

"Jeez, gimme a break. I just wanted to be a bit more fit so I can do stuff."

Her eyes still glared at him, her core unmoving. Ugh, serious people are a serious pain. Ooh that had rhymed somehow. Nice coincidence he supposes, but more importantly it was about time he got her off his case. It was of highest importance that he didn't involve his family into matters of the moonlit world.

"Which part of my super hidden [I don't want to talk about it] secret implication did you not catch?"

"The part where you expect me to not care that you are clearly pushing yourself! And don't even try to deny it, anyone can clearly see the bag under your eyes. Don't you get it? Everyone is positively worried about you."

Huh. That was… He didn't quite know how to respond to that. Yet he has a feeling that he had to say something, respond in a way that wasn't keeping mute.

"...For once, I don't think anyone can help me with my current trouble." She opened her mouth, but he raised his hand to stop her from interrupting. "But even if they could I don't want to involve others into this. It's not about pride, I just… I just don't want to drag anyone into this."

Yeah, in the end that was all there is to it. He didn't want to complicate anyone into this matter. The less those connected to him know about the supernatural, the better.

She stared at him with a gaze that was full of bittersweet tones, soft and relenting. Heavens apart from her previous cold eyes.

"You are way too soft-hearted." She stated in a matter-of-fact manner, before adding in as a whisper he could barely hear, _"Out of all the things you could have picked up from me…"_

"Heh, an apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

He made a wry smile before moving towards the bath. Yet before he took a step his mother spoke once again, stopping him in his track.

"Wait. Do you want a cup of coffee first? It might help with your fatigue."

He blinked.

"Uhh, seriously? Sure. There's no such thing as having too much caffeine round the blood."

He took a seat by the dining table. He does like a cup of coffee every now and then, even if it usually comes with heavy scolding from his parents. This is why it boggles his mind that his mother is actually offering him some coffee. Usually she would be all about stopping him from consuming any of that stuff.

"Let me guess, scalding hot with two cups of sugar?"

"How did you…"

"That is how your father drinks his coffee every single day. An apple doesn't fall far from the tree indeed."

The two smiled towards one another.

* * *

I decided to move to a different site called Webnovel, and will most likely write there from now on. Therefore I am releasing all the small ideas I have wrote which I stopped after only about 10k words. Anyone would be welcome to adopt or even copy this one.

These were the servants I planned

Saber Musashi  
Archer Attila  
Lancer Sasaki  
Caster Shiki  
Rider MHX  
Berserker DEMIYA  
Assassin Okita

Edit: Since someone asked my name in WN is OmaeWaMo, not Arata Suou. Already have 1 new fic there. A multi-crossover about romance.


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